The nature of war has changed in the new era, the army will have to be ready for changing war: Rajnath Singh

Chennai, : Now the nature of war has changed. There will be new types of wars such as gray zone wars and hybrid wars in place of traditional wars. Such wars include things like space war, cyber attacks and misinformation campaigns. Economic war is also a part of it. Defense Minister Rajnath Singh has warned that the army will have to be ready to fight these wars to be held in future. He was speaking at an event at Defense College in Wellington, Tamil Nadu. Rajnath Singh said that the nature of war is completely different in the new era. War can also be fought without firing and its consequences can be changed. We have to understand that technology can also change the direction of war. He said that it is necessary to strengthen national security, promote technological tsunamis and innovation. He said that if we study these three issues carefully and implement them, we can move forward.

In modern times, Frank G. Hoffman is considered the father of the word hybrid war. Rajnath Singh mentioned the fact that he first said in his research paper ’21st century conflict: Hybrid wars’, he said for the first time that the hybrid war included traditional war, unconventional strategy, terrorist activities and the spread of violence in 2007.

Increased impact of invisible enemies in hybrid war

The definitions of war are changing in the present modern era. In addition to the wars fought over traditional battlefields, now the concept of hybrid war is emerging, where an invisible enemy besides direct rival is active. These enemies are not only soldiers, but also various groups that pose a threat to internal security of the country.

Non-contact elements are used in hybrid war. This includes cyber attacks, propaganda, terrorist groups, rebellious organizations, and undeclared elements spreading local instability. The purpose of this war strategy is to weaken any country from within without resorting to direct military attacks. This creates instability in the target country, economic turmoil and growth in society. Interestingly, these invisible enemies cannot be dealt with traditional military means. In this context it is necessary to emphasize capabilities, cyber security, intelligence agencies and national unity. Hybrid war is a future challenge and the country needs to adopt a more sophisticated strategy to deal with it.